Any projectionists here?

Nick Robertson · January 14, 2012

Hi all,

This may not be the best place to post this but I'm desperate and everyone here seems to know everything.

I have a 16mm projector - a Hanimex Eiki NT-1, to be specific. I recently purchased a film from EBay to watch on said projector - but - the film is backwards on the spool. By backwards I mean that the perforations are on the wrong side - everything else is cool, it's the right way up, it's at the beginning, etc...

Now, I've tried over and over again to correct this, in every configuration, between two spools - back and forth over and over. I'm just too dumb to get it right, I guess.

Can anyone (a) understand me and/or (B) help me?

I'd really appreciate it!

Thanks,

Nick.

Mark Dunn · January 14, 2012

If it's at the beginning ('heads out'), you just need to rewind it twice, once with a twist and once without.

The image should be right way up if you look at it above the spool (yours probably isn't, otherwise it would project)- it's then inverted going into the projector, and it's put the right way up again by the lens.

You've somehow got the emulsion orientation wrong- whether it faces the lens or not depends on whether it's a camera original or a print. If it's a print the emulsion (the dull side) should probably face the gate, but it's not definitive, it depends on the kind of print.

Nick Robertson · January 15, 2012

Thanks for the response, mate. It's just a print - should the dull side face the gate and the side with the emulsion scrape against the pressure plate?

(very new to projection!!)

N.

Robert Lewis · January 15, 2012

As I understand it, your projector is designed for film with sprocket perforations on one side of the film only, although it will project film with perforations of both sides.

Assuming that the film has perforations on one side only, projection requires that the film be passed through the gate with the image appearing to the eye (viewed from the front of the projector) to be upside down. The sprocket perforations in the film itself must be on the left side of the film (again as viewed from the front of the projector) to engage with the sprockets which will already have been passed through and which it will continue to pass through until it appears at the back of the projector. The gate pull down claws which are also on the left side of the gate (when viewed from the front of the projector) and so will engage the film correctly. This approach governs the way in which film has to run through the projector. Whether or not the film runs through the projector with the emulsion running against the gate is outside your control and as has been said is determined by the people who produced the print.

If it should be film with perforations on both sides, the projector will run it and again the film should be laced with the image entering the gate upside down. However, with this film the image could be "flipped" (you should be able to detect this because which should be on the left when you view the picture on screen will appear on the right). In that event you will need to change the way the film is laced so that the other side of the film is in contact with the spring-loaded pressure plate. The film should however continue to be laced with the image entering the gate upside down.

Edited January 15, 2012 by Robert Lewis

Simon Wyss · January 15, 2012

Can it be that you bought an old print, say from the early 1930s? According to the old standard, dismissed in 1932, the single perforation row is on the left hand side seen from behind the projector towards screen.

What you can do in this case is to run the film according to your projectorʼs geometry and over a mirror. Advantage: You have the projector aslant in front of you and are able to peer over the mirror without having to turn your head.

Mark Dunn · January 15, 2012

A contact print should have the emulsion (dull) side facing the gate as you say. An optical print could conceivably be the other way round, but as Mr. Lewis says you can tell whether or not the action (and titles) are the right way round. If not, just do the double rewind as I suggested.